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Welcome!

My name is Tim "PITA" Harper and I am the County Coordinator for the Whitman County WA USGenWeb Project site. Please take a moment to check out the new look, and let me know what you think, because this is all for YOU!

About Whitman County, Washington

Comprising a total land mass of 2,151 square miles, Whitman County ranks 10th in size among Washington counties.  The county is situated in southeast Washington along the Washington-Idaho border.  On the Washington side, it is bordered to the north by Spokane County, to the west by Adams County (and a small part of Franklin County at its southwest corner), and to the south by the southeast counties of Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin.

Whitman County is situated in the heart of Palouse Country.  Its topography is generally that of flat land and rolling hills (the Palouse Hills). The rich, dark, porous, moisture-retentive soil is composed of loess and volcanic ash overlaying basalt.  Various forms of bunchgrass constitute the native vegetation, though most of the dryland has since been converted into a productive wheat farming region.

Elevations in the region range from 1,100 to 3,400 feet above sea level.  At the higher elevations are Tekoa Mountain and a number of prominent rock formations such as Bald Butte, Steptoe Butte, and Kamiak Butte.

The Snake River is responsible for the county's winding southern border with Columbia, Asotin, and Garfield counties.  Along this river-forged border lies the Snake River Canyon - a canyon that cuts a 2,000-foot deep swath through the Palouse Hills.  The county's single largest body of water is Rock Lake, located in the northwest county.  Among the county's major tributaries are the Palouse River, Rock Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Pleasant Valley Creek, and Union Flat Creek. There are also a host of lesser tributaries.

Some towns (1998): Albion, Almota, Colfax, Colton, Dusty, Elberton, Endicott, Ewartsville, Farmington, Garfield, Hay, Hooper, Johnson, LaCrosse, Lamont, Malden, Oakesdale, Palouse, Pine City, Pullman, Rosalia, St. John, Steptoe, Tekoa, Thornton, Uniontown, Winona

Upcoming Events
  • If you are a Historical Society, Genealogical Society or even a newly formed workshop, please think of adding your meeting information to this site!
Lookups
  • Kim Day owns a copy of the book Historic Sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory, by Frank T. Gilbert (published 1882 by Printing and Lithographing House of A. G. Walling, Portland , OR), which is a wonderful source of information for the listed counties for pre-1880.   She has graciously volunteered to do lookups in this book.
Announcements
  • 09.20.09Surname Added
    Hayden/Haydon & Lamb from Irene
  • 06.20.09Surname Added
    Follis from Delma Howell, McCabe from Betty VanLeer
  • 05.03.09Surnames Added
    Finally have Surnames, Thanks to Deborah Babb
  • 03.01.09Auditor's Census
    1889 Whitman County Auditor's Census transcribed and submitted by Barbara Brazington
  • 02.07.09Plat Maps
    Links to Plat Maps for most towns in Whitman County, from 1910.
About USGenWeb Project
  • In March and April, 1996, a group of genealogists organized the Kentucky Comprehensive Genealogy Database.  The idea was to provide a single entry point for all counties in Kentucky, where collected databases would be stored.  In addition, the databases would be indexed and cross-linked, so that even if an individual were found in more than one county, they could be located in the index.
  • At the same time, volunteers were found who were willing to coordinate the collection of databases and generally oversee the contents of the web page. The Washington GenWeb project is an extension of the KYGenWeb Project.
  • For information on how you can be a part of the WAGenWeb Project, contact Mike Sweeney.  For information on how you can be a part of the Whitman County GenWeb Project, contact the Coordinator,  Tim "PITA" Harper.
  • I would like to thank Mary Simonsen for all her hardwork and dedication in keeping the Whitman County site alive and FREE, and hope I can help to carry the torch on to the future of Genealogy. We haven't heard the last of Mary though, as she is still very much involved in this County's Genealogy with the Whitman County Genealogical Society.